Sunday 4th October
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| Museum and Art Gallery |
We are staying put again today so after breakfast we walked up to the
Museum and Art Gallery where we had a look around there for a couple of
hours. It is very interesting with lots
of pictures, the History of Birmingham and a gallery displaying the Staffordshire
Hoard, over 4,000 pieces of Anglo Saxon Artefacts found by a man metal detecting
in a field. It is fascinating and great
to see it all in one place and I think this is where it will be permanently
housed now which is good as next time we are in Birmingham we will go again and
the Museum and Art Gallery is all free, even better.
For the rest of the day, we just chilled out.
Monday 5th October
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| Going through Gas Street Basin |
It was a very drab day when we got up this morning, overcast
and drizzly rain. We set off along the
canal, which is now the Worcester and Birmingham, through Gas Street Basin, past the Mail Box and went into the side to
stop for water.
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| Passing the Mailbox |
It was very windy in
this spot and I wasn’t quick enough getting off, so the wind whipped the front
back out. Kev got the back in and tried
to pull the boat in with the centre rope, but it was impossible so he got back
on and then we were sideways across the canal and then over the other
side. Eventually we got the boat back to
the right side and I got off and put the rope around a bollard but the wind
whipped the boat out so quickly that the rope came off and I fell over! Kev got off and eventually we got the boat
into the side and moored up but altogether it must have taken us about twenty
minutes and I bet we looked like Laurel and Hardy to anyone watching and I am
sure there were, we just didn’t see them.
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| CRT working in Edgbaston Tunnel |
We filled up with water and then went on our way along the
canal and through Edgbaston Tunnel which is only 105yds long. CRT were working in the tunnel putting up new
lights but we were able to pass them okay.
We went on along the canal, this is not a very nice section
of canal, lots of graffiti everywhere and rubbish. We were going past Bournville and Cadbury
World when Kev thought there might be something around the prop as the boat
seemed a bit sluggish, so we pulled into the side so he could have a look. The prop was clear, but it was very shallow
in the side and we got stuck well and truly.
We tried to get off the side but no luck, then two boats came by and
that helped and eventually Kev got the back out into the middle of the canal
and on we went.
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| Kings Norton Junction |
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| Wast Hills Tunnel |
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| Almost out of the Foggy Tunnel |
We were soon at King’s North Junction where we went straight
on and soon we were approaching Wast Hills Tunnel. It is 2726yds long. In we went and we weren’t far in when we met
a boat coming the other way, safely past him and on we went into the
darkness. There seemed to be a lot of
fog/mist hanging in the tunnel today and therefore visibility was not that good
and we couldn’t see the end of the tunnel until the last few hundred metres, so
good to get out into the daylight today.
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| Into the Daylight We Go |
We went on along the canal and was relieved to get moored up at the visitor
moorings at Hopwood without anymore incidents thank goodness, it was certainly one of those mornings!! We are staying here
tonight and also tomorrow as we have a visitor coming for ten days, John &
Sharon’s lovely dog Smuggler while they go on holiday to Venice. They are bringing him to us sometime tomorrow
so looking forward to seeing them and having Smuggs for a while.
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